The present invention relates to a binding-off process to prevent loosening of loops at an edge of a fabric knitted by a knitting machine on the flat knitting machine comprising at least a pair of front and back needle beds having a number of knitting needles fitted in needle grooves. The present invention also relates to a knitted fabric thus bound off and to a CAD device used for the binding off process.
A binding-off process for preventing loosening of loops in the final course (final row of needle loops) at an end of a fabric knitted by a flat knitting machine is known. In the binding-off process, a loop in the final course of the knitted fabric is laid over the next to form a double loop and a loop of the next course is formed at the double loop. This knitting is repeated from one end of the fabric to the other end thereof to clear the loops of the final course of the knitted fabric from the needles in sequence. When a two-layered fabric comprising front and back parts is knitted in overlapping relation in back and front and also the loops in the final course are bound off by using the front and back needle beds, the both fabrics are joined together at an end thereof on the side on which the knitting is finished. For example, when this binding-off process is used to join together front and back bodies of a sweater along a shoulder line, the need of a sewing process after the knitting can be eliminated.
The applicant previously made the proposals for the binding-off process to prevent loosening of loops while joining together two fabrics knitted in overlapping relation in back and front, like front and back bodies of a sweater, in Japanese Laid-open (Unexamined) Patent Publications No. Hei 8 (1996)-337946. Japanese Laid-open (Unexamined) Patent Publication No. 8 (1996)-337946 discloses the binding-off process wherein after a loop of a front knitted fabric and a loop of a back knitted fabric, placed opposite, are each transferred to the needles on the opposite needle beds for a while, the loop of the back knitted fabric is laid over the loop of the front knitted fabric to form a double loop and then a binding-off loop continuous to the double loop is formed. This knitting is repeatedly performed to bind off the loops of the front and back knitted fabrics. In this binding-off process, a single row of binding-off loops are formed along the joints of the front and back knitted fabrics. It is to be noted that the terminology of xe2x80x9crow of binding-off loopsxe2x80x9d used in this specification is intended to mean a chain stitch formed in the binding-off process.
In the binding-off process of Japanese Laid-open (Unexamined) Patent Publication No. Hei 8 (1996)-337946, only a single row of binding-off loops are formed and the number of loops in the single row of binding-off loops formed in the binding-off process is identical with the number of wale in the binding-off region.
The present invention relates to a binding-off process to prevent loosening of loops at an edge of a fabric knitted and discloses a novel binding-off process that can reinforce a binding-off section and also can suppress elongation of the binding-off section; a bound off fabric; and a CAD device for binding off process.
For providing further improvements, the present invention provides a binding-off process which is performed by using a flat knitting machine comprising (i) at least a pair of first and second needle beds, which have a number of needles, respectively, and are placed opposite in front and back, between which a needle bed gap is defined, and at least either of which is movable slidably transversely, and (ii) at least one yarn feeder for feeding a yarn to the needles of the first needle bed and the second needle bed, and in which the knitting that loops of rows of binding-off loops are formed with respect to a final course of a knitted fabric, so as to be continuous from a loop in the final course, and a newly formed loop of each row of binding-off loops is laid over a loop next to the loop in the final course, to form a double loop is repeated from one end of a binding-off region toward the other end thereof, to prevent loosening of loops in the final course, wherein n number of rows of binding-off loops are formed, starting from a plurality of loops in the final course in the binding-off region, and wherein when loops of the rows of binding-off loops are laid over loops in the final course in the process of the binding-off process, the loops of the rows of the binding-off loops are laid over loops in the final course located n-th wale forward of the loops, respectively, with respect to the binding-off proceeding direction. According to this construction of the present invention, the rows of binding-off loops are formed, starting from a plurality of loops in the final course in the binding-off region, and the knitting that a loop of each row of binding-off loops is laid over a loop in the final course located n-th wale forward of the loop with respect to the binding-off proceeding direction is repeatedly performed to form n number of rows of binding-off loops. The rows of binding-off loops may be formed in parallel with each other or may be formed in sequence in such a manner that after any one of rows of binding-off loops is formed sequentially to the end, the other row of binding-off loops is formed. This binding-off process can provide a plurality of rows of binding-off loops for the binding-off section and, as a result of this, the binding-off region can be reinforced and the elongation can be suppressed. Further, lengths of the rows of binding-off loops can be freely adjusted by adjusting the number of rows of binding-off loops formed, length of the loop formed, and the number of times to knit the row of binding-off loops formed in the binding-off process.
In the binding-off process mentioned above, the knitted fabric to be bound off may be a two-layered fabric comprising a first knitted fabric knitted in the state of being associated with the first needle bed and a second knitted fabric knitted in the state of being associated with the second needle bed, the first and second knitted fabrics being knitted in an overlapped relation in front and back, and the loops in the final course of the first knitted fabric are retained on the second needle bed and the loops in the final course of the second knitted fabric are retained on the first needle bed, followed by transference of a loop in the final course of either of the first knitted fabric and the second knitted fabric to the opposed needle bed so that the loop in the final course of the first knitted fabric and the loop in the final course of the second knitted fabric can be overlapped with each other. According to this construction of the present invention, the loops in the final course of either of the first knitted fabric and the second knitted fabric are twisted before they are laid over the loops of the other knitted fabric and, as a result of this, the first and second knitted fabrics can be joined together without the binding-off section being projected.
Also, the present invention provides a knitted fabric knitted and bound off by using a flat knitting machine comprising (i) at least a pair of first and second needle beds, which have a number of needles, respectively, and are placed opposite in front and back, between which a needle bed gap is defined, and at least either of which is movable slidably transversely, and (ii) at least one yarn feeder for feeding a yarn to the needles of the first needle bed and the second needle bed, wherein a plurality of rows of binding-off loops are formed, starting from loops in the final course, and loops of the rows of the binding-off loops are laid over loops in the final course located at least two wale away therefrom, respectively.
In the knitted fabric, it is preferable that each row of binding-off loops is formed by a smaller number of binding-off loops than the number of wale in the final course.
Further, the present invention provides a CAD device used for a binding-off process which is performed by using a flat knitting machine comprising (i) at least a pair of first and second needle beds, which have a number of needles, respectively, and are placed opposite in front and back, between which a needle bed gap is defined, and at least either of which is movable slidably transversely, and (ii) at least one yarn feeder for feeding a yarn to the needles of the first needle bed and the second needle bed, and in which the knitting that loops of rows of binding-off loops are formed with respect to a final course of a knitted fabric, so as to be continuous from a loop in the final course, and a newly formed loop of each row of binding-off loops is laid over a loop next to the loop in the final course, to form a double loop is repeated from one end of a binding-off region toward the other end thereof, to prevent loosening of loops in the final course, the CAD device executing the knitting that n number of rows of binding-off loops are formed, starting from a plurality of loops in the final course in the binding-off region, and that when loops of the rows of binding-off loops are laid over loops in the final course in the process of the binding-off process, the loops of the rows of the binding-off loops are laid over loops in the final course located n-th wale forward of the loops, respectively, with respect to the binding-off proceeding direction.